Second Amendment and D.C. slayings

Bill of Rights did not consider today’s guns

Steve Breen’s Sept. 17 editorial cartoon on the Washington, D.C., shooting asks why, but I think the more pertinent question is how.

The answer is with a gun. If a terrorist group or a foreign country was assassinating our citizens at the rate domestic gun violence is doing it, society would be in an uproar and fighting on all fronts.

Most Americans want reasonable gun control. The framers of The Bill of Rights did not have modern weapons in mind when they drafted the second amendment. This country is being held hostage by the National Rifle Association, which is supported by our senators and representatives. When will enough be enough?

Jennifer Ouellette

San Diego

Police have tools to deal with mentally ill

Steve Swendrowski’s request (Letters, Sept. 18) for “stronger mental health laws” instead of better gun-control laws has become the catchword of the National Rifle Association for some time.

In answer to this, please note once and for all, the person who has a severe mental illness has about a 75 percent chance of killing himself rather than going on a rampage to slaughter others. And if the police in Rhode Island saw the severity of Aaron Alexis’ delusions and hallucinations, why they did not take him to the nearest psychiatric unit for a complete examination?

As a mental health social worker for 40 years in San Diego, I know the local police have instructions on dealing with this type of situation — and if they feel the person is “a danger to himself or others,” they can act accordingly.

Ray Schwartz

San Diego

Military security failures

Lack of leadership and attention to military screening and security allowed Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan to carry out the massacre of soldiers at Fort Hood, and Aaron Alexis to enter the Navy Yard with a weapon to begin his murderous rampage.

The same security failures apply to the treasonous release of military secrets by Army Pvt. Bradley Manning, and NSA secrets by contractor Edward Snowden — all of which substantially increases threats to our national security.

Daniel B. Jeffs

Carlsbad

Islamic problems should be their own

It’s time for the United States to adopt an “Islamic Neutrality Doctrine.” Such a doctrine could be simply stated:

“The United States will remain neutral on all inter-Islamic affairs, whether they are within an Islamic country or between Islamic countries. While the United States will fiercely defend its borders, it cannot and will not attempt to intervene in Islamic problems.”

Such a policy could provide a comprehensive global road map for engagement in diplomatic and military strategy.

The single greatest ally against radical Islam may well be moderate Islam. U.S. intervention in Islamic affairs often unites moderates with radicals against us.

An Islamic Neutrality Doctrine would allow Muslims to solve their own problems while preserving American blood and treasure.

Steve Gormican

Coronado

Government is behind cost of living

The gap between the top 1% and the rest of us is growing. Of course it is, as a percentage of our income the increased taxes, Obamacare, gasoline, electricity, gas, water and groceries is eating us alive.

It’s not so much that the “rich” are our predators as it is that actions by our government are increasing the cost of living as a disproportionate part of our gross income.

At some point we must realize that being taken care of is expensive.

Mike Concannon

Escondido

Leadership qualities live in common folk

Regarding “What do we look for in a leader?” (Sept. 15), I was amused at the tone of the article being that a group of elites meeting in La Jolla are somehow sanctioned by society to weigh in on leadership qualities.

If what they are looking for are honest, truthful, humble, unpretentious and giving leaders, perhaps this august gathering of intellectuals ought to consider the counterintuitive nature of their meeting over coq au vin with a finish of Benedictine.

As far as I know, achievement is no barometer of being a good leader.

The stories of Mexico City cabdrivers returning gold watches and diamond rings to distressed passengers are legend.

I know a few 18-year-old boys buried on a bluff in Normandy who had more qualities of leadership than the NYU law students I roomed with at the “Sorbonne.”

I’m afraid that the folks attending the local forum on leadership have got it upside down and are looking in the opposite direction.

But then again. it’s by invitation only.

Daniel J. Smiechowski

San Diego

Wants action on utility line undergrounding

Dear Acting Mayor Todd Gloria: If as you say, your first order of business is to do a top-down review of what is working in our city and what is not, I suggest you pay special attention to the wise recommendation made by City Auditor Eduardo Luna in his latest report that officials should dip into the tens of millions of dollars paid by San Diego electricity customers to bury transmission lines underground and speed up the process.

I further ask that if this undergrounding is not speeded up, the money I and my neighbors have paid into this fund for 43 years be returned to us. In no way is the confiscation of money from customers for a “indefinite pie in the sky promise” ethical. For so many years this project has been delayed while we continue to pay into an unrealistic plan. The fact that most of the citizens who have paid the most over the longest period of time will not live to see what they paid for accomplished should make all city officials during these years ashamed of their leadership. I am waiting for your action on my request.